The pair unveiled the windscreen-less Vuhl 05 – described as a track-ready but road-legal lightweight supercar – to rousing approval at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England. The car’s debut, which included a blast up Lord March’s driveway with Mexican Formula 1 rookie Esteban Gutierrez behind the wheel, helped the secure 20 solid orders, sufficient to give the car the green light for production. The name Vuhl (pronounced VOOL), is an acronym for the grammatically questionable Vehicles of Ultra-lightweight and High-performance.

“We could not have wished for a better response from the media and public alike,” said Guillermo Echeverria in a statement. “As hoped, it is clear the car is just as appealing to those wanting an ultra-cool car for the road as the serious track-day enthusiasts seeking an alternative to the offerings of more established manufacturers.”

Styled by the Echeverrias’ own design house, the two-seat 05 will wear bodies of fibreglass or, optionally, carbon fibre composite, crafted in Canada. Fabrication of the bonded aluminium chassis, and final assembly of the car itself, will happen in Mexico City, abetted by a global array of suppliers that includes OZ, Michelin, Bilstein, Hella, Sparco and Wilwood. A Ford-sourced turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine produces a stout 285 horsepower – sufficient to propel the 1600lb roadster to 62mph in 3.7 seconds and keep the speedometer needle moving all the way to 152mph.

The company, backed by a cadre of private investors and the Mexican government, is expected to start building the 05 “Edition One” in November. In the UK, the car will command £56,800 and in the US, $89,000. Initial availability will be limited to the UK and US, but the Echeverrias plan to expand deliveries to continental Europe, the Middle East and China.